Anchor plate feed in eye setting machine



Feb- 13, 1962 w. v. DE NlCOLO 3,021,031

ANCHOR PLATE FEED IN EYE SETTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 20, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEIIJTOR. Wi l llam V. DeNlcolo Feb. 13, 1962 w. v. DE NICOLO 3,021,031

' ANCHOR PLATE FEED IN EYE SETTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 20, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 26 WIHiam V. DeNucolo ZZOw aZZz/JMVM A'l'forneqes United States Patent Ofiiice 3,021,031 Patented Feb. 13, 1962 3,021,031 ANCHOR PLATE FEED 1N EYE SETTING MACHINE William V. DeNicolo, Chicago, 111., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The North & Judd Manufacturing Co.,

a corporation of Connecticut Filed Dec. 20, 1957, Ser. No. 704,144 1 Claim. (Cl. 221-273) This invention relates to an eye-setting machine for the assembly of hook-and-eye fasteners in garments and the like.

It relates more particularly to a means for feeding anchor plates to an anvil in an eye-setting machine of the type described and claimed in the copending application of Lundberg, Serial No. 587,784, now US. Patent No. 2,939,145 and entitled Eye-Setting Machine.

In the aforementioned eye-setting machine which operates mechanically in response to the action of cams mounted on a common drive for effecting a sequence of movements including an eye-feeding step, an anchor platechanging step, an eye-member-displacement step for projecting the prongs of the eye-member through the textile material and through the openings of the underlying anchor plate, and a prong-bending step, the means for advancing of the anchor plate from a feeding chute to a position of use on the anvil comprises a curvilinear path where numerous possibilities exist for jamming the anchor plates or interfering with the proper displacement thereof from the feed chute to the anvil. Feeding of the elongate plates about a rather sharp curvilinear path also requires clearances which handicap the construction of the machine with tolerances desirable for operation and for accurate control of the displacement and feeding of parts. For various other reasons, additional deficiencies have been found to exist in the feed system of the type described in the aforementioned copending application.

It is deemed to be more desirable to provide for a linear feed path for the anchor plates from a feed chute to the anvil and to embody such feeding arrangements in a minim-um amount of space Within the dimensions of the machine to provide a compact machine which is capable of steady operation for the continuous and accurate feeding of anchor plates without bending the plates and without jamming the machine. Thus it is an object of this invention to produce a feed system of the type described for anchor plates in an eye-setting machine and it is a related object to produce an eye-setting machine of the type described.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will hereinafter appear and for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a segment of the eyesetting machine embodying the features of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevational view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevational view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective elevational view of the bottom portion of a feed chute employed in the practice of this invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a guide plate embodied in the practice of this invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an actuator embodied in the practice of this invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an anchor plate of the type which is adapted to be processed by the elements of this invention.

A detailed description of the construction and operation of the eye-setting machine may be had by reference to the copending application Serial No. 587,784, now U.S. Patent No. 2,939,145. The description will hereinafter be limited to the feed system for the advancement of an anchor plate 10 from a feed chute 12 to an anvil 14 on which the anchor plate is located in position to enable the prongs of an eye member to be projected through the openings 16 of the anchor plate for bending by the rocker arms 18 responsive to the displacement of an actuator slide 20 operated in timed response to a cam mounted upon the drive shaft, as described in the aforementioned copending application.

Description will hereinafter be made with reference to the feeding of an anchor plate 10 comprising an elongate metal member having a central body portion 22 With slots 16 extending crosswise in the under portions thereof with flanges 24 extending outwardly integrally from the lateral edges of the body portion 22 and at a slightly lower level than the body portion to provide a channel section 26 on the underside in which the through-extending portions of the prongs may be received upon bending. It will be understood that the feed system hereinafter described is not limited to the shape and construction of the anchor plates since the concepts can be adapted for use with anchor plates which are fiat or which are formed with offsets of a different character or direction.

Referring now to the drawings, the anchor plates 10 are arranged in nested relation to form a stack 30 within an elongate housing 32 having an opening 34 extending throughout the length thereof and of a cross-section to correspond with the length and width of the anchor plates 10. The housing is open at the top end for loading and it is open at the bottom end 36 with the exception of laterally spaced apart pairs of arms 38 and 40 which extend integrally downwardly from the front and back walls 42 and 44 respectively for a distance corresponding to the maximum height of one anchor plate but less than two. The free ends 46 of the arms 38 and 40 are turned inwardly in the direction towards each other to provide a spaced relation therebetween in the form of a slot 48 for passage of an actuator block 50 therebetween. The arms 38 and 40 are dimensioned to have a width corresponding to the width of a pair of crosswise slots 52 and 54 in an elongate guide bar 56. The slots 52 and 54 are spaced apart by a distance corresponding to the spaced relation between the pair of arms 38 and 40 and they are dimensioned to have a depth corresponding to the thickness of the arms to enable the arms to be seated within the slots when effecting the assembled relation of the chute in position of use on the machine.

The guide bar 56 comprises an elongate metal member seated within the frame or base of the machine in crosswise alignment with the anvil 14 and extending continuously from the feed chute 12 in one end portion to the anvil 14 adjacent the other end portion. The guide bar is formed with a groove 58 in the upper surface dimensioned to have a width corresponding to the width of the anchor plates and a depth corresponding to the height of the anchor plates to enable an anchor plate slidably to be received therein in end-to-end relation. The base of the slot or runner 58 is adapted to be flush with the portion of the anvil 14 which is immediately adjacent thereto so as to enable displacement of the anchor plates, when aligned in end-to-end relation in the slot, from the slot into position of use on the anvil.

The guide bar is also provided with an elongate groove 60 underlying the groove 58 and in spaced relation thereto. The groove 60 is of a cross-section corresponding to the actuator bar 20 slidably to receive the actuator bar therein and which is dimensioned to have a length less than the length of the groove to enable endwise displacement of the bar between an outer or normal position and an inner or operative position. The groove 58 and the underlying groove 60 in the guide bar 56 are interconnected by a slot 62 which extends through the bar for a distance in advance of the feed chute position to a distance beyond the feed chute position to enable a block or abutment i) operatively connected and preferably extending upwardly integrally from the actuator bar 20 to project through the slot 62 into the groove 58 to a level so that the abutment will engage the rearward edge of the lowermost of the anchor plates in the stack 30 to displace the lowermost of the anchor plates from the stack into the inner portion of the groove during actuation of the bar from normal to operative position.

In normal position, the leading edge of the abutment 50 is adapted to be positioned rearwardly of the stack of anchor plates 10 at rest on the guide bar 56 to enable the abutment to clear the stack of eye-members whereby the stack will rest on the guide bar with the lowermost of the anchor plates in the path to be engaged by the abutment for displacement. In operative postion, the leading edge 51 of the abutment 50 is adapted to effect displacement of the lowermost of the anchor plates for a distance corresponding to the length of the anchor plate for corresponding movement of all of the anchor plates in advance thereof lying in end-to-end relation in the groove 58 to the anvil 14. Thus the abutment is adapted to extend into the groove 58 for a distance which is no greater than the height of a single anchor plate at rest on the base of the groove and the abutment is dimensioned to have a width which is less than the width of the anchor plate and preferably about the width of the body portion so that the slot 62 can be formed to a lesser width than the groove 58 to leave side rails 64 upon which the lateral edge portions of the anchor plates can rest during passage through the groove. The ends of the arms 38 and are also spaced one from the other by a corresponding amount to enable displacement of the abutment 50 therebetween during its movement between normal and operative positions.

Displacement of the actuator bar 20 for feeding an anchor plate to the anvil is carried out in timed relation with the other portions of the machine in response "to operation of the cam on the common drive shaft and the feed cam mounted thereon as described in the aforementioned application.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the feed slide 70 is operated in reciprocal movement in response to the rotational movement of the actuating cam on the drive shaft. Reciprocal movement of the feed slide 70 in the forward direction is transmitted for reciprocal movement of the actuator bar 20 in the crosswise direction through a transfer mechanism located in the bed of the machine to effect movement of the actuator bar from normal to operative positions and back responsive to movement of the feed slide 70 from normal to operative positions and back respectively.

The transfer mechanism comprises a lever arm 72 pivoted intermediate its ends on a pin 74 stationarily fixed to the frame of the machine. One end of the lever arm 72 is provided with an elongate slot 76 dimensioned to receive a pin 78 extending upwardly from the slide bar pivotally to connect the lever arm 72 with the bar. The other end of the lever arm 72 is formed with an opening 80 dimensioned to receive a pivot pin 82 on the rearward end portion of a connecting lever 84 mounted for reciprocal movement lengthwise in the direction of the feed slide 70 but offset laterally therefrom in the direction of the feed chute 30. Operatively connected to the forward end portion of the connecting lever 84 is a flat transfer plate 86 which is mounted for reciprocal movement within a confined groove 88 underlying the forward end portion of the actuator bar 20 and extending crosswise thereof. The transfer plate 86 is formed with an elongate slot 90 which extends angularly preferably at an angle of about 45 degrees i 15 degrees through a part of the plate underlying the actuator bar 20 during endwise displacement of the plate from normal to operative position. A stud 92 depends from the actuator bar effecting en gagement with the slot for establishing an operative connection between the stud and slot to transmit crosswise movement of the actuator bar 20 in response to forward and backward reciprocal movement of the transfer plate 86. It will be understood that the pin and slot may be interchanged as between the actuator bar and the transfer plate for transferring linear movement of one element in one direction to linear movement of the other element in a direction substantially perpendicularly thereto. The slot 90 is dimensioned to have a length greater than the hypotenuse of a right triangle having the length of displacement of the actuator bar 20 as one of its sides.

The transfer plate 86 is confined within its channel by a cover plate 94 which is held down by screws 96. The part of the feed groove 58 between the feed chute 12 and the anvil 14 is preferably lapped in part at least by a cover plate 98 which is held down by screws 100 to define a channel space dimensioned to receive the anchor plates in sliding relation therein when aligned end to end but to militate against the overlapping of one anchor plate with another in a manner such as would cause jamming.

In operation, with the elements in normal position, a feed chute 12 filled with anchor plates 10 will be positioned over the guide bar 56 so that the lateral edges or flanges 24 of the lowermost anchor plate in the stack 30 will be at rest on the side rails 64 adjacent the slot 62 passing therebetween. The abutment 50 movable with the actuator bar 20 will be positioned outwardly of the stack of stay plates with the upper end of the abutment at a level with the body portion of the lowermost of the anchor plates in the stack.

As the feed slide 70 is displaced rearwardly in feeding operation, the lever 72 will be rocked about its pivot 74 to effect displacement of the connecting lever 84 and the transfer plate 86 pivotally joined thereto. Responsive to the operative connection between the stud 92 and the slot 90, a forward movement of the transfer plate 86 will cause latter displacement in the inward direction of the actuator bar 20 from normal toward operative position.

Displacement of the actuator bar 20 will carry the abutment 50 through the slot 62 whereby the leading edge of the abutment will come into engagement with the rearward edge of the lowermost of the anchor plates lying in the path thereof to cause displacement of the anchor plate from the feed chute 12 into the channel 104 in advance thereof. The clearance between the bottom wall at the leading end of the chute (106) and the base of the groove 58 in the guide plate will enable displacement of only the lowermost of the anchor plates in response to movement of the abutment therethrough. The remainder of the plates in the stack will be supported on the abutment in spaced relation with the guide plate while the abutment underlies the stack of anchor plates.

Forward displacement of the lowermost of the anchor plates from the stack will be transmitted to other anchor plates aligned in end-to-end relation in advance thereof in the channel 104 to cause the innermost of the anchor plates to be displaced from the channel onto the anvil 14. The amount of displacement is adjustable to correspond with the length of the anchor plates so that the displaced anchor plate will clear the stack to enable the stack to drop down onto the rails of the guide bar when the abutment is removed from the underside thereof.

Forward displacement of the slide bar 70 to normal position will effect rearward displacement of the transfer plate 86. Such movement will be transmitted through the pin and slot connection to the actuator bar 20 and the abutment 50 to cause outward displacement of the abutment until it clears the stack of anchor plates in the feed chute. Upon clearance, the stack will drop down to bring the next anchor plate into position of rest on the rails of the guide bar to assume the position of the displaced anchor plate as the lowermost in the stack in the path of the abutment in preparation for the next cycle of operation.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a simple and efficient means is provided for the transmission of movement from a forward movement as effected by the feed cam to a crosswise movement for linear displacement of the anchor plates from a feed chute to the anvil without the necessity for increasing the size or dimension of the machine. It will be evident further that the modifications described will provide for accurate control of the feeding relation to displace anchor plates singly into the desired position on the anvil for receiving the prongs of the I-member to effect an assembled relation therebetween.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement, and operation without departing from the spirit of the invention especially defined in the following claim.

I claim:

In an eye setting machine, a feed slide shiftable linearly in one direction during operation of the machine through a cycle, a feed chute, means for feeding anchor plates linearly in a different direction from the stack of the anchor plates located in a feed chute to an anvil in the machine comprising a guide bar extending from beyond the feed chute to the anvil and having a linear feed groove in the upper surface thereof having a height and width corresponding to the height and width of each anchor plate and with the base flush with the portion of the anvil immediately adjacent the base for sliding movement of the anchor plates in end to end relation through the groove to the anvil, means mounting the feed chute on one end portion of the guide bar with the lowermost of the anchor plates in the stack resting in the feed groove and with the leading bottom edge of the chute being spaced from the base of the groove by an amount greater than the height of one anchor plate but less than two to enable only the lowermost of the anchor plates to be displaced endwise from the feed chute through the groove, a single abutment mounted for linear displacement through the groove between a normal position outwardly of the stack of anchor plates to an operated position underlying the stack of anchor plates with the abutment having a portion confronted by the lowermost of the anchor plates in the stack when in position of rest in the feed groove, and means for transmitting linear movement of the feed slide in one direction to linear movement of the abutment in the other direction to displace the abutment between normalv and operated positions whereby the lowermost anchor plate in the stack is displaced from the feed chute into the feed groove during movement of the abutment from normal to operated position and whereby the stack of anchor plates in the feed chute drops onto the base of the feed groove responsive to return of the abutment to normal position, the guide bar being formed with a second groove underlying the feed groove and in spaced relation therewith, and an actuator bar dimensioned to have a length less than the second groove and slidably received therein and in which the abutment is operatively connected to the actuator bar for movement therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Paxton et a1. Mar. 29, 1955 

